Relinquished Ties
Three weeks and the house was finally done. The repaired side and the original did not match, but this was not something Harry minded too much. It was still a house he could live in and work in. The furniture had come, the kitchen looked like a kitchen, the rooms were back to their former glory and he again had a lab, though this time it had a lot stronger wards to keep it from breaking.
"Okay then," said Harry. There were thirteen vampires standing in front of him, all of them looking expectant. They had been a part of the crew that had ran along fixing his house. Harry had searched for them, an easy task, and got Gregory to enchant a ring that would protect them from the sun so long as they stayed on the Potter property—it brought a chuckle to the wizard every time he thought about the vampire who thought he would outsmart the wizard and run off the moment they had their ring. But now, for their work they wanted the real deal.
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a box that shouldn't have fit. He opened, revealing thirteen sets of dull, metal rings. "These are Daylight Rings. They will protect much as though you had before, only all throughout the world. But," said Harry and he heard a few groans. "If you kill anyone while you have the ring on, all the power of the sun stored within will burn you to your death."
One of them, a large man who to Harry looked much like a Ripper, smirked and asked, "What's to stop us taking them off when we want to splurge?"
"They can't be taken off," said Harry. "They're cursed. You put them on and that it's…well, until you die and the next vampire picks it up."
The large man scowled and he walked forward. He picked up a ring and looked at Harry square in the eyes. "Hope I don't meet you in a dark corner," the man said before he walked off, putting on the ring.
The others followed, they with not as potent a glare as the large man before, then they walked off, leaving Harry and Gregory alone in the living room.
"You relish making enemies, don't you?" the man asked.
Harry shrugged. "It's more exciting than having people pretend they're your friends," said Harry. "And anyway, if I hadn't told them some would have died. Now I don't have to feel guilty."
"Guilt," said Gregory. "I hate the emotion. I sometimes wish I was like vampires. Able to turn Humanity on and off."
"A witch who has fantasies of being a vampire," Harry said. "I don't think Nature would like you very much."
The older looking man only shrugged.
"Perhaps we should work on that next," said Harry. "A spell that would ensure we had all the benefits of vampires without the whole losing access to magic drawback."
"If it's all the same, I'd rather focus on my sentence," the man said and Harry didn't begrudge the man. Gregory's sentence was not an amount in years, but more like a thesis. He would be the one working on the advancement of Symbolic Magic. Harry saw a future in the art, but he still didn't have the time. He had the Veil to the Other Side to bring down and he already knew his mistake. Now all that was left was working to make sure his circle would hold and the spell would be cast.
Gregory scaled up the stairs and to his room, leaving Harry alone in the living room. A moment's respite after a month of being forced to watch as thirteen vampires worked. Watching vampires was much like watching children, only these children could go out into Mystic Falls and kill the entire town if they wanted. It had been hectic. But Harry had gained an Ace in the assimilation between three parts, and it had worked to keep track of the vampires. But now. He finally had time to rest…which was why he sighed a little when there came a knock from the door.
He stood and wondered to the door. Tyler stood on the other side of the door, he looked a little haggard, strain showing in his eyes but other than that he was fine.
"They're all gone," he said. "No human casualties."
"Didn't think there would be," said Harry. "But no less, it was something to be prepared for. I'm hoping the transformation didn't take too much out of you."
Tyler shrugged. "I've gotten used to it."
"Good man," said Harry. "I owe you one." Tyler gave a nod and then paused. "Is there something else?"
"Can I come in?"
Harry took a step and led the hybrid to living room. He waited as Tyler thought over what he wanted to say and then the hybrid spoke. "I've been thinking about what you told," he said, "about the hybrids that wouldn't fight Niklaus."
"What about them?"
"Where do you think they are?"
Harry shrugged. "On the run most likely," he said. "They didn't want to be found and so I think they'll be most careful not to be found."
"Hiding is all well and good though," said Tyler. "But don't you think Mystic Falls is the best place for them to be? Klaus can't get in hear."
"Well it's possible," said Harry. "But it would be hard."
"But it would be much safer for those hybrids here than anywhere else, right?"
Harry looked at Tyler with some interest. "You want them here?"
Tyler paused and then gave a nod. "It's a wolf thing," he said. "Being a part of a pack. There's something about it that just feels familiar. That just feels right. When I was turning those hybrids from Klaus. I constantly had that feeling. But now that I it's gone, I miss it."
"I'm not too sure they'll want to be back here, mate," said Harry.
"I'll convince them," said Tyler.
Harry thought it over and then stood. "Follow me." They started scaling up the stairs and towards the lab. "I've been working on something on my spare time," said Harry. "You know about my compasses right?"
Tyler nodded. "It can find anything as long as it's not Cloaked," he said. "But I thought you lost the last one you made."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Tell Caroline one thing and she tells it to everyone," the wizard muttered. "I didn't lose it. I gave it away. Anyway that's not the point." Harry opened the door and they walked in; it was much larger than it should have been, circular in structure and with a large chalk drawn circle in the middle. They walked around the circle to the edge of the room were Harry's desk sat. "I've been working on a derivative of it. Using…never mind you probably don't share my fascination with magic."
Tyler didn't argue. Harry pulled out a compass from his desk. It was large and old, made of Elder wood. It spun every so often not pointing at a particular direction.
"Sort of a step back isn't?" asked Tyler.
An excited grin appeared on Harry. "Not at all. It's the future of tracking." He placed it down. "Of course I haven't worked out the kinks yet, but with these, you would be able to find something and teleport to it the moment it was found."
Tyler stared at the compass and then at Harry. "Are you going to give me this?"
The wizard snorted. "No. I'm not even going to let you borrow it yet. But when it's done, maybe I'll think about it."
"So why bring me here?" Tyler asked.
"In case I die," said Harry. "You have permission to pillage my lab."
Harry might have been imagining but he saw the slightest sign of worry appear on the younger man's face.
"There's no need to worry, mate. I don't plan on dying soon, but no one ever plans to do it so I want to get my affairs in order."
"A bit morbid," said Tyler and he shrugged. "But I guess I'll take what I can get."
"Brilliant," the wizard said. "Make sure to avoid the circle. It's still unstable," said the wizard as the started walking out.
"What is it?"
"Hopefully it will be a door."
"A door where?"
The wizard smiled. "That would be telling."
Tyler left and Harry returned to his lab and to the circle. He flicked his wand and the intricacy unfolded: within the circle there were five other smaller circles that could snuggly fit a person, these circles stood outside another circle which in turn had a heptagram inside it and a pentagram within the heptagram. The errors had been fixed, but because of that Harry had had to break one of the few things he hadn't wanted to break for the next thousand years.
He would need to get to work soon though. There was no longer any time for Harry to mill about within his complacency. He was starting to get a sinking feeling, and he trusted his instincts enough not to question them.
Jeremy let out the third sigh that day and Harry was starting to get annoyed. "What?" the wizard asked. "Just bloody say it and stop sighing."
"You said we were going on a trip," he said. "I thought we'd be a Hunting trip."
Harry stopped trudging and looked at the Hunter with some interest. "How did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Capitalise hunter?" he asked. Jeremy sighed and shook his head.
"You're missing the point."
"We are hunting," said Harry. "Just not the hunt you're looking for. I thought you had the whole vampire hunting urge thing under control."
"I do," said Jeremy defensively, "but a hunt is still great form time to time."
Harry shook his head. "You sound like an addict, mate. It's sort of scary." That it was his own machinations that had resulted in Jeremy being the way he was, Harry tried not to think.
"What are we looking for anyway?" asked Jeremy as they started trudging through the forest again. "And please tell me we're not going to catch Pikachu."
"Pikachu?" Harry asked in confusion. Jeremy's only response was to pull out a small ball from his pocket, it was silver on one side and red on the other. The colour had not been Harry's first choice, but Gregory found it funny for some reason Harry didn't understand.
"How can you be so out of touch?" asked Jeremy. "Seriously? You don't know what this is?"
"A device for capture, yes, I know what it is," Harry answered.
"And that isn't ringing any bells?" Jeremy asked.
Harry shook his head. "No the slightest cling."
Jeremy only sighed and continued walking. "You were telling me what we're hunting."
"Witch spirits," Harry finally said.
"Why?"
"Something I'm working on," said Harry. "It requires powerful witches and rumours on the Other Side say this place is the dwelled of a long dead witch who still has pull on the real world."
"Is that even possible?" Jeremy asked.
Harry only shrugged. "Magic has loopholes," said Harry. "I'm guessing the spell that crafted the Other Side has one too and this witch is explo—" Harry stopped as the air shifted, magic washing over him. "We've reached her domain."
Harry pulled out his cloak and handed it over to Jeremy. "Wear that. You'll be the surprise."
"Do I need to wait for her to feint before I catch her?" Jeremy asked with an amused smiled with went over Harry's head.
"Of course not, she's a ghost. She won't feint. But she needs to be caught off guard so she can't unravel the enchantments."
Jeremy gave a disappointed nod. "I just wish you'd play along," he muttered before he disappeared into a column of darkness that was an eyesore to Harry. The wizard pointed his wand at the sky and a light shot out, breaking apart as hit the air and spreading a thin white shield that quickly disappeared.
Harry began walking forward. The magic that surrounded the place was overbearing, but Harry pushed it back, dulled his senses. His wand was at his hand, the other wand in the other holster—Harry was teaching himself to be ambidextrous, but it was very difficult—but he wouldn't be using it. He was prepared for anything, but it somewhat caught him off guard when a large branch hurtled towards him. But by far not enough that his reflexes didn't catch up, a blue spell shot from his wand and tore the tree asunder.
Trees rustled as their friend fell. They sky shifted, turning form bright day to an ominous grey colour. Shivers began to rise up Harry's spine. The wizard didn't move. Only closed his eyes and focused. He pushed out his sense of magic and waited, a second, two, the he felt it: wards ingrained into the earth much like those that protected Mystic Falls from the Originals. Harry pushed out his sense again, trying to gauge how far they stretched but the feeling that came back was warped and bent. He sighed, he would have to go into this headfirst then. He shrugged and started moving his wand in a complicated pattern.
He pointed it forward and in voice that was overly dramatic intoned, "Partis Temporus!"
As one all the trees that had started edging close together jumped out of the way, leaving an open path that would ensure the wizard would not be caught by stray branches.
"You know you could have done that earlier," Harry heard Jeremy muttered behind him but he paid the hunter no mind. He started walking forward, following the dense sense of magic.
"You're trespassing," Harry heard and again there was a shiver at his back. Almost as though he was being watched. He looked around until he caught sight of a stark black raven looking at him with an equally black eyes.
"I know," said Harry. "I've been looking for you…or your master," the wizard said. "I'm not too sure what you are really."
"This forest is mine," said the bird with a voice that chilled Harry. "Its power mine. I will not leave it."
"I'm afraid you'll have to," said Harry. "I sort of need your power…it's sort of a long story."
"I give you your first and final warning," said the bird. "Leave and your death will not be used as fuel."
"How many has that actually scared?" Harry asked but then he frowned. There indeed was a certain chill to the words, almost as though they were trying to change his emotional state into that of fear. But Harry was an Occlumency. It would need to be a concentrated effort for him to be taken by such effects. "No matter, I'm not one of them. Let's just fight and get this over with, I have a date in an hour."
The raven took to the sky with caw, then dropped and broke apart into the form of a beautiful woman dressed in black. Harry prepared, wand at the ready and a protection spell burning in his mind.
She said a word and Harry flicked his wand; the shield appeared but it was torn asunder by the impact of the spell. Harry quickly retaliated, three spells hissing as they flew through the air only to be blocked by a column of nothing. She flicked her hand but Harry conjured a large piece of metal that blocked her from view, turning on the spot as a clang rang. He appeared behind the woman, letting lose fiery spells, but she was not caught by surprise. She disappeared, leaving the path Harry had created and appearing with the trees.
She started a spell.
Harry fired curses as her words filled the air, but the trees kept getting in the way, protecting her as shields. "Incendios Grata!" he screamed in irritation and the fire tore through many trees but not enough that it reached the witch. Harry slashed his wand but he could the spell was done. Harry felt almost like taffy, he was being pulled up while everything else was being pushed down and then there was a crack and Harry felt extremely hot and weak, the protection of his clothes having been obliterated by conjured thunder.
Merlin, Harry thought as he tried to shake off the effect—he let himself fall to the side as he felt a pulse of magic come his way, landed on a roll and got to his feet—thunder was about the hardest force to control, and yet she had done it with seeming ease. Harry would admit he was impressed and that he was caught off guard. But he too still had tricks up his sleeve.
He worked his wand in a quick pattern, weaving out of the way of a spell. Fire shot from his wand, a tree tried jumping in its way but the bird weaved out of the way, dodging the branches that were trying to catch it. The witch disappeared, but it was all well and good for Harry; he viciously spun his wand around his head and let loose a burst of flame that spread across the forest consuming the trees that stood in its way.
The witch's words rang throughout the forest again, but Harry was in his element and he noticed that the solid lump of darkness was going in the direction of the witch's voice. Harry blindly started shooting spells and every time it hit fire a wolf formed. Harry gave the one command: Hunt for the witch. They did as ordered and whatever spell the woman was attempting to cast was ceased by an irritated snarled words that ended with a dog's whimper. Harry noticed where the pack was congregating and started towards the direct, he arrived in time to see four wolves vanish with pained expressions, but there were already more spanning the entire burning forest.
The witch took to the sky, turning into her raven form, but Harry had fire on his side. Bird rocketed from the flames and though the woman tried to dodge, she couldn't stop the onslaught. The power of her form faded when she slammed into a shield in the sky and she dropped; she didn't even hit the ground before she was hit by a small ball and engulfed by red light.
It took some time to get the forest to stop burning, but when finally Harry had managed, he found Jeremy sitting on a large stone and he looked exhausted. The hunter held the ball proudly.
"I got the ghost type," he said with a small smile.
"Whatever inside joke you keep sharing with yourself, it's getting old now," the wizard said. "Stop."
"Come on, Harry, but I want to catch 'em all."
"I have no idea what that means."
Jeremy sighed. "I was hoping you were joking," he said. "You seriously need to watch TV."
"I'll make a note of that," said Harry and indeed he would. He hated this cluelessness. "Anyway we should get back."
Jeremy nodded and got to his feet. "Next time, let's not use fire," he said. "It might not have burned, but it was terrifying."
"With fire one of the few things that can kill everything, I doubt I can do that."
Jeremy shrugged. "Still, tone it down."
"I'll try."
Harry walked into his lab and flicked his wand, the circle revealed itself into the complicated magical diagram that it was. Harry levitated the ball until it floated on top of the human sized circles, a flick and the ball opened, letting out a confused witch bound in a circle.
"I'm disgusted to say that I'm quite adapt at the next curse," said Harry. "Don't fight it." The witch only had a moment to look confused before, "Imperio."
The day ended as any regular day. His date was not so much a date than Harry eating dinner at the Forbes residence, Tyler was joining them and Harry made a show of glaring at him as if to say 'any untoward thoughts about my daughter and I will end you. You know I can!'
It was funny how being a father worked. Even if the children weren't his own, Harry always felt a certain paternal instinct towards those younger than him—it also didn't help that he and Liz were in a relationship and the wizard enjoyed staying over. He pushed back the thoughts of his plans for the future and engulfed himself in the normality of it all. How was your days being asked back and forth, and Harry geeking out a few times about his experiments.
Two days passed in seeming normality before Harry had another spirit to find, thought this he had to do on his own it being a school day and all. He appeared in a sleepy town in some village in Scandinavia. It was the dead of night, few houses with their lights on and there was a malevolent tinge to the air. Harry pushed this aside and went forward. He started treading to the large mansion that took up the view from the hill.
Much as he wanted another scuffle, Harry couldn't to lose this was. Which was why he moved through this mansion under his cloak with a light coming from his wand. He moved through the corridors, searching for the spirit that called this place home. It wasn't as powerful as the last, but enough blood had been spilled hear that Harry knew it would be quite the task to fight. He would have looked to his compass but it didn't work, its magic might have been the hybrid of a Patronus Charm and a Point Me Spell, but it couldn't look through to the Other Side. So Harry was forced to manually search less he gave himself away.
His source said the mansion was more than seventy years old. The first person to own it had been a Muggle with a proclivity for torture. Many of his slaves had fallen until the town's people had revolted and took justice into their own hands. The house had been left abandoned for a few years, but then a coven had moved in only to be killed by someone else who wanted access to the power of the spilled blood, this cycle had continued for ten years before the locals had decided to burn the place. Of course the last witch to have died here, with access to all this power, had not left the house. He had rebuilt it by magic, making it his own. Scores of witches, much as was the case with the witch Harry had fought two days ago, had tried to take this power: it was like Harry's property in a respect, it could be used to magnify any spell, only this and the land before were a lot more powerful—and unfortunately a lot darker. Power had that effect on people and Harry feared that the same was happening to him, but he would not stop it yet. He had to do what needed to be done for the greater future. Not for the greater good, but for his good.
Harry stopped and closed his eyes. Ever since the explosion he felt a lot more powerful, both magically and physically. He could not match a vampire's physical prowess, but their motions were easier to track, his spells were faster and Harry could react faster than before. On the magical side his abilities had stretched, his sense had grown a lot more acute, though he was still trying to work out how far he could stretch it; there had also been an open in his Master of Death abilities. If he focused long enough. He could sense the dead. But it took a lot of strain and concentration.
Which was why Harry had to be sure that he wouldn't have to fight. He started stretching out his sense, rifling through the mansion and looking for the spirit that called it home. Harry found it and let out a haggard breath. Three floors down. He began looking for the way.
He found the aristocratic looking man seating on a chair staring at a fire. It was a bit anticlimactic all things considered because all Harry had to do was walking up behind him, throw the ball and with a flash of red light, he was gone and Harry had him bound in a circle and put under the Imperius Curse.
The day had flown past and Harry still had time to take on side hobbies. He got to work on his compass again, checked on Gregory—the man was still working furiously on the task that would give him his freedom—then returned to it again. He enjoyed the quiet time that afforded him the opportunity not think, but then, it was only a matter of time before this was interrupted.
He felt a shiver run through his spine and was on instant alert. He walked out of his lab and appeared with a rush of wind in his front lawn already prepared for battle and was caught off guard by the sight he saw. She wore jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket, and her hair was a lot more kempt, but Harry was sure it was her.
"Anna?"
The girl smiled. "I thought you'd have forgotten about me," she said.
"I'm not one to forget people who've saved my life," said Harry. "How are you alive?" But he already guessed the answer. The explosion. Harry felt an amount of dread wondering who else might have been brought back by the explosion.
"I think you're smart enough to figure that out," said Anna. "But that's not why I'm here." Her smile disappeared and she regarded him with a cool look that sent a shiver down Harry's spine. "I like you, so I don't want to have to kill. But if you get in my way, you have been warned."
Harry frowned. "Depends on what you'll be doing," said Harry.
"What you have failed to do," she said. "I'll stop this entire mess with the breaking of the Other Side before it gets started…and I should warn you to stop what you're trying less I have to go after you."
"You're scaring me a little, Anna," said Harry. "You're kind of giving me the vibe that you're off to kill someone."
The resolute expression was enough of an answer. "I'm going to have to stop you," said Harry raising the elder wand.
Anna stood a little taller. "I'm channelling all the power of the Bennett coven," she said. "Even with Expression on your side you would be hard-pressed to take me on and wind."
Harry grew resolute, his hand tightening against his wand, but he already knew he would lose if he fought. "Expecto Patronum," Harry said and the stag ran off.
Anna quickly raised her hands and snapped her fingers; there was a bang and Harry was engulfed by pain as his wards shattered. Darkness started at the edges of his vision but Harry pushed back. Anna was walking towards him and the closer she came, Harry started to notice that they were the same height, but then he realised that he was on his knees.
"I really don't want to kill you, Harry," said Anna. "Which is why I'll Bind you to yourself—I don't think you'll have the guts to kill yourself. Not to mention it will be counter-productive." She laid a hand on Harry's forehead, the wizard tried to move but he felt too fatigued. Anna began her spell then walked off. The moment she was out of the property Harry felt the shield form.
"Bloody hell," the wizard muttered before he was engulfed by the darkness.
A day had passed and Harry had received the message that Bonnie was off somewhere along with her parents, all of them Cloaked. Harry didn't like that Bonnie's father had left town, he was more vulnerable if the Originals wanted to kill him and make the shield weaker, but he didn't doubt that it needed to be done. Anna was on the prowl, looking for Bonnie, but Harry feared that sooner or later she was start wanting to take hostages.
"Caroline, Elena and Jeremy will be the people she will most go after," said Harry from his prison. Stefan stood on the other side. They still didn't much like each other, but for Lexi's sake they had been trying to make it work.
"We guessed as such," said Stefan. "But Bonnie, the last we spoke, said she had a plan. Something that might help, which is why she needed Jeremy."
"I don't understand," said Harry. "What good is a Hunter against a witch?"
Stefan shrugged. "She sounded pretty confident."
"It's only plan that could work," said Harry. "It isn't as though I can do much from this side."
"Have you gotten closer at coming out?"
Harry shook his head. "But in a day there'll be an Eclipse. I usually have outbursts then, maybe with that power I can break through this blasted thing."
Stefan gave a nod. "Should I call Lexi?"
Harry quickly shook his head. "It hasn't been a month. I want her to enjoy her life."
Another nod and the man left.
Harry paced after the man left and he admitted that he was starting to feel a little stir crazy. The Binding was as strong as the one Bree could cast, but it was bound to him that a piece of gold, which meant a sure way to break through would have been to die. But Harry wasn't prepared yet. There was still the Other Side to worry about. That meant he had to shoot a spell so powerful that charm wouldn't hold, which meant waiting until the phenomena started. It had started in his first world, with the first eclipse he had gone through causing the Hollows to have so much power that Harry couldn't use them; the wand would burn him, spirits summoned by the ring would turn against the user and the cloak rendered its user unable to see. But there was also the boost in magic. Something Harry was hoping for. He didn't like that he would have to wait a few days though.
The wizard walked into his house and continued with his pacing. Gregory watched him with almost something akin to a smirk, and the witch held it so that it resembled a smirk before the last night he had made light of the situation Harry had mistakenly turned him into a toad and had trouble stripping the enchantment. He went up to his lab and took his mind off things for a long time, working on the compass—which he couldn't test now that he was locked (the wizard took a few breaths after the realisation hit)—and when that didn't pan out Harry started practising with his Apparition.
It was a slight bit slower than Apparition. Harry had counted how long it took him to get from Mystic Falls, and while Apparition was almost instantaneous the new form of teleportation had a few seconds in which Harry watched as the world passed in rapid speed before he arrived. But he no longer had to turn on the spot, which gave his dodging more manoeuvrability—a good thing since more often than not on this world he had to fight vampires.
The day passed into the next and then another, all of which Harry spent overwhelmed by an immense dread because Liz had been the only one to visit him and she had said all the town's vampires had disappeared. Harry had spent a Patronus, but for some reason they were coming back. He was starting to suspect the worst. That perhaps Anna had killed the others to get Bonnie's attention, then there was this plan Harry didn't know about.
If there was a thing Harry didn't like, it was not knowing, but more than anything else it was being stuck. One hour we worked with a muddled mind on the compass prototype, then next he was practising with his teleportation, the next he was viciously shooting curses at the Boundary and one time Harry came close to even thinking about killing himself, but that would just take him to a different prison.
Three days, he told himself. Only three days before the eclipse and hopefully he would be out to walk the world and deal with Anna.
Another day passed and there were two more days left. Harry was surprised when he felt someone knocking against the Boundary—it was one of the side-effects of having the spell bound to him. He walked outside and was surprised to find Matt standing on the other side. Much as Harry couldn't out, no one could come in.
"I'm not supposed to tell you this," said Matt. "Bonnie says you might not like it, but with how crazy it is, Jeremy, Tyler and I came to a consensus."
"What's going on?" Harry asked. He had thought the amount of dread bubbling in his stomach since his imprisonment would not get worse. But he was wrong, the sinking feeling went further than Harry thought as he waited for Matt to explain.
The blond took a large breath and said, "Bonnie's working with the Shanes."
Harry pushed down his irritation. He had thought Atticus Shane had disappeared, off to who knew where. But whatever the man was doing he was still doing it. But then Harry frowned. "The Shanes?"
Matt nodded. "Professor Shane's married," he said, "and his wife can you Expression like Bonnie."
Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. What were the chances, but then it began to make sense. After all Atticus had been the one to teach Bonnie to use Expression and he had to learn it from somewhere. But how had Atticus' wife remained hidden for so long, especially after the man had been threatened by Gregory's coven—and even Harry had stolen from him, but he preferred not to think about that. Such thoughts were washed aside however as he noticed that Matt was not done.
"That's not all though. The Shanes want to find Silas. They say with all the power that Anna has, he's the only person in the world that can take her."
Harry shook her head. "That can't be right," he said. "Two Expression users being beat by a single witch? It doesn't seem likely."
"It's very likely," said Matt and he shivered. "The three of them fought and destroyed a small town," he said. "I mean completely destroyed it. Damon, Caroline and Elena managed to save some of the people before it fell but it wasn't many before some barrier-like thing stopped them from entering again."
"Where were Stefan and Tyler during all this?" Harry asked.
"Looking for a group that calls themselves Travellers," said Matt. "Witches for hire. He says Klaus used them one you."
Harry swallowed, remembering the people who had ghostly forms standing over them. As he thought about them, memories from Sirius came to mind: Niklaus compelling Stefan to give them his blood. He didn't understand it but then their magic had seemed queer to him.
"Tell me more about this Silas thing," said Harry. "Did the Shanes explain why they thought this was a good idea?"
Matt only shrugged. "If they did, I don't know yet. But after the thing with the town. Jeremy is starting to think it's a good idea too. With you locked away there can't be that powerful a witch walking around." Matt shivered again and shook his head. "The three of them fighting. It was scary."
"I don't doubt it," said Harry. "It's good that you stay out of it," the wizard said. "I doubt even vampires stand much of a chance with her. I doubt I could kill her as well," Harry muttered, something he didn't like admitting.
"Anyway I have to go tell Sheriff Forbes and Mayor Lockwood that Caroline and Tyler are alright."
Harry nodded. "Keep me informed, yeah?"
Matt gave a nod before walking to his truck and driving away.
AN: I managed to muscle through the writer's block and came up with this chapter, which brings us to the Doppelganger Arc. I'm still working through how to deal with magic battles within this universe. It's not all that easy considering a majority of the fight we've seen are between vampires and the spells used have mostly increased strength. But I hope the small fight between Harry and the witch spirit kept as close as it could to the established boundaries of each universe-with a few tweaks of my own of course.
I'm hoping you enjoyed the chapter and I'll start working on the next as soon as I can.